Puglia president to challenge Renzi for party leadership

Matteo Renzi has a rival for the leadership of Italy's Democratic Party — Michele Emiliano, the president of the southern region of Puglia.

At a party meeting Tuesday, Emiliano, considered more of a populist than a leftist, said he wanted to take on Renzi, who officially stepped down as party leader Sunday to launch an early leadership contest, a move many fear could split the party.

Emiliano had backed those who wanted to quit the party over Renzi's actions but changed his mind.

"I am running because this party is my home and nobody can kick me out," Emiliano said.

However, the party is fracturing, with a group of leftist leaders and lawmakers saying they are leaving the party, accusing Renzi of a shift to the right.

At Tuesday's meeting, party leaders decided on the members of the board who will decide the rules of the leadership contest. But many rebels didn’t take part, including former party leader Pierluigi Bersani and his supporters. Bersani said last week that “the schism has already taken place.”

Enrico Rossi, the president of Tuscany, Renzi's home region, is also leaving the party.

Renzi decided to step down to seek a strong mandate and call for elections as early as possible. Renzi resigned from his post as prime minister in December after losing a key constitutional referendum. He was replaced by Paolo Gentiloni, the former foreign minister in his government.

Emiliano's decision to run is expected to boost participation in a primary election but pollsters say he has no chance of winning.

In an interview with La Repubblica newspaper on Tuesday, former prime minister and European Commission president Romano Prodi said “this schism is a suicide.” Another former prime minister, Enrico Letta, blamed Renzi for the rupture in the party and said it would boost populists such as Beppe Grillo and Matteo Salvini as well as smooth the way for a Silvio Berlusconi comeback.